“We’ll start notifying people about this update on October 7, 2025 via in-product notifications and emails, several weeks before it goes into effect on December 16, 2025.”
The rollout will begin in most regions on Dec. 16—excluding the UK, the European Union, and South Korea—and expand over time
“We hope to offer these more personalized experiences everywhere soon,” Meta said in the statement.
The company did not specify which of its platforms integrating Meta AI are expected to see the rollout of ads. Meta owns popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Meta AI is also available as a standalone app. Meta also integrated its AI in branded eyewear recently.
At present, more than 1 billion people use Meta AI worldwide every month, Meta said, indicating a vast business opportunity for the company.
“Just like other personalized services, we tailor the ads and content you see based on your activity, ensuring that your experience evolves as your interests change,” Meta said in its statement.
“For example, if you chat with Meta AI about hiking, we may learn that you’re interested in hiking—just as we would if you posted a reel about hiking or liked a hiking-related Page. As a result, you might start seeing recommendations for hiking groups, posts from friends about trails, or ads for hiking boots.”
Meta clarified that user conversations with AI on topics such as sexual orientation, religion, health, race, or ethnic origin, political views, trade union membership, or philosophical beliefs won’t be used to deliver ads.
Users will have control over ad exposure, the company said. For instance, individuals can adjust the content and ads they see at any time via Ads Preferences and other tools.
“When interacting with chatbots, users are generating personalised information about themselves in more unique, intimate detail than ever before,” the group said, adding that this was a “dangerous territory” with regards to user privacy.
“AI chatbots have the potential to amplify the profit-driven harms of data exploitation by AdTech companies, as these chatbots have created entirely new avenues for the collection of more detailed personal data (e.g., a user explaining their health symptoms with detailed context that they might not do in a search engine query).”
AI Chatbots Under Scrutiny
Meanwhile, Meta AI is facing scrutiny from lawmakers. In August, Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called for an investigation into Meta following a controversial Reuters report.According to the report, the news service received a Meta policy document stating that the company’s AI chatbots were allowed to “engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual.”
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told Reuters that such conversations with children should never have been allowed by the chatbots.
“The examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed,” Stone said.
“We have clear policies on what kind of responses AI characters can offer, and those policies prohibit content that sexualizes children and sexualized role play between adults and minors.”
